


A Life Meant to Live

by imamotherfuckingstarlord



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Marvel - Freeform, Peter Parker - Freeform, mcu - Freeform, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 11:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19722598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imamotherfuckingstarlord/pseuds/imamotherfuckingstarlord
Summary: After being a human experiment for evil scientists, you are turned into a mermaid. Tony Stark saves you and Bruce Banner gives you a serum that allows you to go from legs to tail when you enter water. The two men save your life, but it’s Peter Parker who makes the biggest impression.





	A Life Meant to Live

When the water was cold, it was your favorite; too warm and it brought back the memories that need not be brought up. Staring down at the over the top, larger than life pool, that Tony Stark had built as an extension of the new Avengers facility, you smiled. He had made it so the roof of the building opened up when you wanted to feel the sun on your skin, but most often, you just left it closed. Placing a large towel neatly on the edge of the pool, you stretched and asked FRIDAY to turn on the playlist you had made earlier that day. The music drifted into the air as you stripped down to the simple two-piece swimsuit and started toward the steps of the pole. Holding on to the railing, you gazed around the large empty room and asked FRIDAY to close all the windows; the sound of the glass windows being covered with metal eased your anxiety. Taking a deep breath, you dipped a toe in the water before fully submerging; closing your eyes as the transformation took place; your feet emerging into one large scaly tail. At the inner tips it was a pearly white that turned into a light blue that then turned into a dark one, the further the scales when up your body, the paler the blue. The scales simmered under the overhead lights as you flapped it over the water for a moment as your head came above the walker, an odd sense filling your chest; it had been a whole year of being a real life walking mermaid, but it still was strange. 

It was Tony who found you; in a water tank, an abandoned experiment by overzealous scientist working for HYDRA. You were in the dark when he walked into the empty lab and you had cried out for help, his eyes went wide and he was shocked to see what was in front of him. After that, he had you transported to the facility, where he had a temporary pool ready until he could arrange for a more comfortable one. Bruce Banner had worked hard for nearly three months before coming up with a solution; it wasn’t perfect but the serum he gave you allowed for you to live as normal of a life as you could; when you were in water, the scales and underwater breathing came to life, along with fast speed and super strength. Once you were done with the water works, you could get out, and no more than a few seconds later, you had legs again and the scales disappeared. You were grateful to the two men, and the rest of the team, who found you intriguing and often were a bit too protective; Steve practically babied you, much to Natasha’s dismay, she wanted to make sure you were strong and kept practicing in water. The two had been a Godsend, along with everyone else, especially a certain college student. 

“I thought you’d be here.”

Turning your head away from your tail, you saw Peter walking in from the back door; wearing swim trunks and holding take out. Smiling, you swam to the edge to meet him; he was one of the few that you felt comfortable with entirely – sure, everyone was nice, but not everyone understood what you were going through. In fact, Parker was the only one close to your age and the two of you had grown close.

“Do you have fries?”

He nodded, placing the bags down. Putting your elbows up on the edge, your tail flapped behind you as Peter took off his shoes and socks, settling down ankles deep in the pool. He began to unpack the food and you watched contently, thanking him when he handed over a few fries. You ate them and as he laid out the food, he eyed your form. The scales went up to your neck, sometimes they’d reach the side of your face, depending on how long you were in water; he noticed the dorsal fin that ran along your back when you leaned over to grab a handful of his fries and smiled fondly.

“Those are my fries,” he teased, laughing when you ignored him as you took a bite of one.

Peter fell back into staring as he ate his burger, the two of you silently comfortable. He could never help himself when you were around, whether in human or mermaid form, he just found you fascinating. There was this connection that had blossomed from your very first meeting, and it has only grown since then.

Peter was soaring in the night sky, doing his neighborhood watch after a long day of college courses; he was stressed about school but flying around always made him feel better. Stopping atop of a building adjacent to a hotel; he settled at the edge and pulled up his mask, feet dangling as he checked text messages from Ned. Relaxing, he let the overwhelming stress of school leave his shoulders and texted back his friend until he heard a scream. His Spidey-sense perked up and he pulled down his mask, putting his cell away as he looked to see where the scream was coming from – it was the hotel roof pool. Wasting no time, he swung down and landed on his feet, noticing that there was no one around except a single figure in the corner of the pool. 

“Excuse me,” he hollered, rushing around the pool. “Uh – are you okay?’

The rooftop level was dark, but the pool had lights illuminating the water, so when he edged closer to the figure his eyes couldn’t believe what he was seeing – and that was saying a lot, considering his day job. A long shadowy figure lingered under the woman and he cleared his throat again, asking if everything was okay. Now he was just a foot away, reaching a handout to the person’s shoulder until they turned their head, tears in their eyes – and it was you.

“Spider-man?”

“I heard someone screaming, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” His words were sincere as his eyes traveled from the side of your face down to your bare shoulders which was covered in light blue scales that seemed to shine, even in the dark; that’s when he realized what he was seeing. “Holy – you’re a mermaid.”

“Something like that,” you snapped, turning your head away from him as tears began to flow again. Peter immediately regretted what he said and leaned forward to touch your shoulders; the scales feeling a bit cold but not slimy as he thought – which made him feel more ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” he backtracked, giving your shoulder a light squeeze. “I think it’s pretty cool, I mean, look at me. A radioactive spider bites me and I’m Spider-Man.”

“That seems a lot less painful than evil scientists experimenting on you and turning you into a monster.”

Peter sighted, letting go of your shoulder to take a seat on the edge of the pool. “I’m sorry that happened to you but look on the bright side; who doesn’t love swimming…. all the time.”

You laughed then and rolled your eyes, motioning for him to scoot over. He did and watched as you lift yourself out of the pool; Peter’s eyes glued to your tail as it flopped a bit in the air before settling down. Adjusting yourself into a seated position, you tucked a few wet strands of hair behind your ears and sighed. 

“I was having a flashback,” you clarified quietly, gazing over to the masked hero. “The water was getting too warm, I think it’s on a timer…...I don’t know, but it reminded of being in the tank.”

“The tank?”

“Those people, they kept me in a big tank and when they were running their experiments, they’d make it near boiling to see how the scales would react. I should have told Tony, I’m sure he would have made sure to fix the pool.”

“Stark? Tony Stark?”

“The one and only,” you responded, explaining that he was the one that found you. “He’s having a state-of-the-art pool built for me at the new Avengers facility, and for now he’s having me stay at this hotel. He rented out the top three floors and made sure that the pool was only opened to me.”

“Sounds like him,” Peter chuckled, giving you a side glance. You were beautiful under the city lights and he felt his heart beating fast when your eyes met his. He laughed nervously and decided it wouldn’t be so bad if one more person knew who he was. So, slowly, he peeled off his mask and your eyes went wide.

“You just took off your mask,” you exclaim, and he shrugged shyly.

“I’m Peter Parker,” he said, holding his hand out. 

You had to admit, he was attractive in a guy next doorway and he seemed so kind – something you needed in your life. Grinning, you took his hand and shook it.

“Hey, Peter, I’m YN.”

After that initial meeting, things progressed in your friendship. He was there to help you when Bruce finally gave you the serum, held your hand as the pain fueled through your body and told you it would be fine. It was the worst pain you felt, causing you to become sick for days, but it was a price worth paying, because it gave you your legs back. Peter had been the first person to witness the transformation and he brushed away the tears when you cried. When you had to relearn to walk, he had made sure to help you every little step of the way until you were running – in the end, Tony and Bruce had given you a new life, but it was Peter would made it worth living. 

“I think I’m going to take a dip.”

“You’re going to get a cramp,” you warned, taking a sip of the chocolate shake he had gotten you. Devouring its goodness, you pushed away from the edge and rose your tail above the water, laughing when you smacked it back down, causing water to splash all over Peter. He jumped up and chuckled, pointing a finger at you. “They say you should wait thirty minutes after you eat to swim.”

“Who says that,” he asked, tugging off his shirt. You shrugged and watched as he stretched, giving you a wink before diving into the pool. Shouting, you swam away and peered around, waiting for him to swim back up. Seconds later, he gasped for air and proclaimed that he had a cramp.

“You’re an idiot, Peter Parker.”

He grinned and pushed hair back from his face, swimming toward you. The water was colder than a pool should be, but he understood why and accepted that as something you needed to feel comfortable. So, he sucked it up and reminded himself that his body would get used to the temperature eventually. Your tail twitched in the water when his feet touched it and you grinned, holding your arms out to him. Peter swam into your embrace and welcomed the smooth feeling of your scales against his legs. His hands reached down under the water for your waist, knowing you were keeping him afloat. He held you gently as you brought him closer to you; arms around his neck and your face inches from his. You could feel his hands touching your dorsal fin, gently running up and down it in a way that made you feel at home. 

“I love you,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against yours. Your tail flapped against his feet and he laughed, shaking his head when you kissed his nose. Peter had been there for you from the very beginning, never judging or averting his eyes to the scales. He saw you for who you were, in and out of the water, and that had been enough. It had been an adjustment at first, getting used to your new life, but as you leaned forward to kiss Peter; the water cold and comforting, it didn’t feel like a new life. 

No, it felt like the life you were meant to live.

“I love you too, Peter.”


End file.
